Does a Doll Deserve to Live a Happy Life? (Patreon)

Chapter 45: Bonds in a Burning World

“So you’ve been aware of me from the start, huh? That’s some impressive senses for a modern magus,” Caster said, raising a brow as he observed me closely.

“I had a great teacher,” I replied with a small smile, amused by the private joke while keeping him within my field of vision.

“Must be some teacher,” he muttered dryly, earning a faint twitch of my lips at the irony. “Anyway, what’s this proposition of yours?”

He began walking toward us casually, his gaze drifting over Mash and Olga with an appreciative look that I didn’t like.

Judging by their reactions, neither did they.

I felt Olga grab the back of my shirt, likely unconsciously, as she shot him a scowl, while Mash stepped a little closer to me.

Of course, Caster noticed.

And of course… he looked even more amused.

“Help us end this Grail War,” I said firmly, my expression turning serious. “By now, you’ve probably realized something isn’t right. That’s why we’re here.”

I gestured slightly.

“We belong to Chaldea… but I think I’ll let our beautiful Director here explain the rest. I’m only a newbie after all.”

I stepped aside.

That, unfortunately, revealed Olga, who was still holding onto my shirt.

With all eyes on her, she immediately let go and coughed into her hand, trying—and failing—to hide the blush on her face.

“R-Right. We are from—”

She shot me a quick glare before stepping forward and taking control, explaining our situation and mission to Caster.

While she spoke, I moved closer to Mash.

“Good job back there, Mash. I couldn’t have done it without you,” I said quietly.

She immediately flushed, waving her hands in embarrassment.

“I-It was nothing, Senpai! Besides, you were the incredible one. All I did was block her attacks while you defeated her… I don’t even know the name of my Noble Phantasm yet…”

Her voice trailed off, her expression dimming.

I shook my head and gently patted her head, earning a small squeak as she looked up at me.

“Having the power to protect others already makes you someone worth admiring, Mash,” I said with a soft smile. “It reflects the kind of person you are.”

“…T-Thank you, Senpai,” she murmured, lowering her head shyly.

“And about your Noble Phantasm…” I continued, shifting the conversation. “I think I have an idea which Servant you made a contract with. There are only so many legends of someone wielding a shield… and those letters inscribed on it look familiar.”

In truth, I wasn’t sure why she didn’t already know.

Granting her my Shroud should have given her access to all of Galahad’s abilities without restriction even without his input… but it was probably just inexperience. She was still new to being a Demi-Servant, after all.

“R-Really!?” Mash asked, her nervousness vanishing instantly as she looked at me with wide, sparkling eyes that made my heart twitch at how adorable she looked.

“Y-Yeah… now please stop making that face. You’re going to give me a heart attack with how cute you are,” I said, placing a hand over my chest in mock distress and retreating back a step.

“C-C-Cu-cute!?” Mash squeaked, her face turning bright red as she covered it with both hands and turned away.

“Hahaha! I see now why my charms didn’t work on the two of them.”

Caster’s voice cut into the moment, drawing our attention back to him. He had finished speaking with Olga, who now stood beside him with a scowl, slightly undermined by the faint blush still on her cheeks due to his comment.

“Stop talking nonsense! Now, will you join us or not?” Olga demanded, crossing her arms as she stepped back beside us.

“Hmm… the enemy of my enemy—” Caster began.

“—is not necessarily my ally,” I cut in calmly, finishing his thought with a small smile. “But for now, you can trust us.”

He blinked—

—and then burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! That’s right. Seems you get it.” He grinned. “Alright, I’m a Caster Servant. For now, I don’t mind forming a temporary contract with you, boy.”

“That works for me.”

I raised my hand, Command Seals visible, and felt the contract form as a portion of my mana flowed into him.

“W-Whoa! Are you even human?” Caster exclaimed, placing a hand over his chest. “That’s some potent stuff you’ve got there. No wonder the little lady isn’t even winded.”

His reaction drew matching looks from Mash and Olga, but since I had already told them I’d explain everything later, they didn’t press the issue. Caster, noticing this, didn’t push either.

With two Servants now—

Well, three, if I counted myself—

I felt confident we could face Artoria Alter right now if we all ambushed her.

Still… better safe than sorry.

“Director,” I said, turning to Olga, “is it possible to summon another Servant? Mash’s shield should be able to connect to the Throne of Heroes, right?”

She blinked at my knowledge before frowning slightly, glancing down at her device and tapping it.

“Normally, I’d welcome the help… but I don’t know the current state of Chaldea after everything that happened,” she admitted.

A moment later, the communicator flickered to life.

Romani appeared, looking at us with visible relief.

“Everyone! I’m glad you’re safe, and it looks like you even secured the help of a local Servant! That’s great news,” he said, slumping slightly in his seat.

“Romani! Stop rambling,” Olga snapped. “What’s the status of FATE? And can Sieg summon another Servant to assist us?”

“Y-Yes! Right away!” Romani yelped, immediately getting to work.

After a moment, he looked back up.

“FATE is still operational… but any Servant you summon will have to rely entirely on Sieg-kun. Our generators are still down that would normally handle most of the mana requirements.”

“That won’t be a problem,” I said without hesitation while stepping forward. “I can support another Servant and still contribute to the fight.”

“Yeah, the kid’s basically overflowing with mana,” Caster added with a smirk. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say he had a dragon reactor or something similar.”

I ignored the teasing look he sent my way.

“Yes! I believe in Senpai as well!” Mash being the adorable cinnamon roll she was, chimed in immediately, her voice full of confidence.

“Well… if you’re sure,” Romani said, still a bit hesitant before nodding. “Alright, then listen carefully. Here’s what you need to do—”

After a few moments of instruction, Mash placed her shield on the ground, its surface facing upward.

“All you have to do now is step forward, and the shield will do the rest, Sieg-kun,” Romani explained seriously. “However, be advised, most of the protections are currently offline due to our situation. We don’t know what kind of Servant will respond. It will depend entirely on your will and personality.”

I nodded in understanding.

As everyone stepped back to avoid interfering with the ritual, I moved forward, offering Mash and Olga a reassuring smile. Both were watching me with concern, even if Olga tried her best to hide it.

“A Servant based on my will and personality, huh… I can’t say I’m not curious,” I muttered quietly as I let my Information Defense drop for a moment.

Taking a deep breath, I let my mana flow into the shield.

I didn’t have to wait long.

Almost immediately, the shield began to glow with a golden light. At the same time, I felt a stronger pull on my mana as a figure began to materialize before me.

I watched silently—

—and then blinked.

The light faded, revealing the Servant who had answered my call.

A small smile formed on my face.

She wore a beautiful white dress resembling a wedding gown, a massive mace resting in her hand. Her red hair framed her face, her blue eyes distant, almost empty.

And adorning her head were the familiar golden contraptions resembling bolts and a horn on her forehead.

“…Uhhhh…”

The moment she spoke, my smile widened.

“…Hello, Fran. It’s good to see you again,” I said gently, slowly extending my hand toward her. “Will you help us? We could really use your strength.”

Frankenstein’s Monster.

A girl who had once sacrificed herself for me during the Great Holy Grail War in the past.

Of course, she probably didn’t remember me, this was a different timeline, after all. But I had a feeling… once I granted her my Shroud, things might change.

Honestly, I had expected Astolfo to answer the summon with our compatibility but it seems I was wrong.

Not that there was anything wrong with Fran of course, as she was another cinnamon roll similar to Mash who just wanted someone to love her and liked cute things. My Shroud should allow her the ability to speak and I could always buy her the Anthropize perk later so she could have a human form so she could blend in naturally when outside.

Fran tilted her head slightly, clearly confused by the fact that I already knew her name. Slowly, her bangs parted just enough to reveal her eyes more clearly as she studied me in silence.

For a moment, she simply stared—

—as if searching for something.

Then, as if she had found it, her gaze dropped to my outstretched hand.

Hesitantly, she reached out.

Our hands met.

She held the handshake for a moment longer than expected before pulling away, glancing down at her own hand with quiet curiosity.

“Great. Welcome aboard, Fran.” I said with a soft smile.

Turning back, I faced the others—

who were all watching us with very different expressions.

Mash watched everything unfold with a bright, happy expression, likely excited at the possibility of gaining another friend.

Olga, on the other hand, studied Fran closely, her gaze sharp as if trying to piece together her true identity.

Caster?

He simply laughed, giving me an approving look.

“Way to go, kid~ You’re a natural at this, huh?” he teased.

I ignored him.

“Everyone, I’d like you to meet Berserker—or Fran, as she prefers to be called,” I said with a small smile.

“Uhhhh,” Fran greeted in her usual way, giving a small nod.

“It’s nice to meet you, Fran. My name is Mash Kyrielight, Shielder class,” Mash replied warmly, offering a small wave, clearly sensing a kindred spirit.

“Fran…?” Olga tilted her head, eyes narrowing slightly as she focused on the golden contraptions on Fran’s head, which sparked faintly with electricity.

Then her eyes widened as she connected the dots.

“Is she…?”

“Yes,” I confirmed immediately not wanting to upset Fran. “Though she prefers to be called Fran. It’s cuter than her real name.”

Fran nodded in agreement.

Olga turned back to me, arms crossing as her expression hardened.

“…How do you know her? That should be impossible. You’re too young to have lived in her era, and there’s no way you were part of the last Grail War since you would be a kid at the time.”

“Like before, I’ll ask you to wait for those answers, Director,” I said with a calm shake of my head. “I promise I’m not trying to deceive you. It’s just… not the right time.”

She frowned deeper.

“Hmph. Fine. But when we return to Chaldea, you and I are going to have a very long conversation, Sieg.”

“You have my word, Director,” I replied easily.

That seemed to satisfy her as she let a pleased nod, probably happy that I wasn’t arguing with her and listening to her.

“Sorry to interrupt your little lovers’ quarrel—”

Caster paused for a moment to duck as Olga fired a Gandr at where his head had just been.

“—but now that we’ve got reinforcements, we might actually pull this off,” he continued casually.

“Those words coming from the Child of Light… must mean our opponents aren’t exactly pushovers,” I remarked, casually revealing his identity.

“Tch. Of course you know who I am,” he said, clicking his tongue. “Now that I think about it, you didn’t seem surprised by Lancer earlier either. Got some special eyes or something, kid?”

“Or something,” I replied with a small grin.

He scoffed, though there was amusement behind it.

“Anyway,” I continued, “you were saying?”

“Right. I already took care of Rider and Assassin before you showed up,” Caster explained. “That leaves Berserker, Archer, and Saber. And Saber’s the only one besides me that’s a proper Servant.”

“Which means the others are likely Shadow Servants, constructs formed from the corrupted Grail and excess mana,” I added with a nod.

Caster raised a brow, while Olga and Mash blinked in surprise.

“Yeah… you really know way more than you should,” Caster muttered, though he waved it off. “Still, you’re right. Take down Saber, and this whole mess should end. Problem is, Archer’s sticking close to her. We’ll have to deal with the slippery bastard first.”

“Do you know Saber’s identity?” Olga asked, stepping back into the discussion.

“Yeah. One look at her Noble Phantasm is enough,” Caster replied. “It’s only the most famous holy sword in the world.”

“King Arthur,” I said simply.

Caster nodded.

Behind me, Olga and Mash both gasped.

“Worse, a King Arthur with the Holy Grail in her possession. She can fire off her Noble Phantasm at will, with no delay,” Caster added, causing Olga to pale slightly.

“Do you think you can handle Archer while we go after Saber, and then regroup with us afterward?” I asked, turning to him. “As a bonus, I’ll tell you Archer’s true name… and let you borrow something of mine.”

“Yeah, shouldn’t be a problem,” Caster replied with a grin. “Already got a bone to pick with the bastard anyway. And if knowing his True Name will piss him off, I’m all ears.”

‘Figures,’ I thought in amusement. ‘Even across timelines, those two can’t help but clash.’

“Archer’s True Name is Emiya,” I said. “But if you really want to get under his skin, call him Shirou.”

That got his full attention.

“He possesses a Reality Marble that allows him to replicate any non-divine weapon he sees at a glance. Then he fires them off as arrows, copies with most of the original’s power. Though in his current state, I doubt he can deploy it.”

Everyone blinked.

“…That’s a lot more than I expected,” Caster admitted after a moment, before grinning again. “Appreciate it, kid.”

“Here,” I added, pulling out my version of Gáe Bolg and tossing it to him. “You can borrow this, but I will want it back. My teacher would kill me if I lost it.”

He caught it instinctively.

Then froze.

Caster stared down at the crimson spear in his hand, the familiar shape… yet unmistakably different if one where to look closely.

Slowly, he looked back up at me.

I met his gaze with a small smirk.

For a brief moment, we just stared at each other.

Then—

Understanding clicked.

A matching grin spread across his face, and whatever suspicion he had left vanished completely, replaced by pure amusement.

“Heh… so the hag took on another student, huh?” he muttered, letting out a hearty chuckle as he spun the spear expertly in his hand.

“I should’ve noticed sooner,” he continued. “Those runes you used against Lancer felt way too familiar. Your fighting style also now that I think about it.”

He relaxed slightly, resting the spear over his shoulder.

“So… how’s she doing?”

The casual tone of his question made it sound like we were old acquaintances catching up.

Which only made the others’ confusion that much more obvious.

“She wanted to come, but I managed to convince her to stay home,” I said, a warm smile spreading across my face as I thought of my lover, and teacher.

Caster’s eyes widened slightly at my wording before he burst out laughing.

“Hahaha! It really is a small world, huh?” he said, grinning. “Kid, if we make it out of this alive, let’s grab a drink. My treat.”

“I don’t see why not,” I replied with a shrug, agreeing easily.

“I’ll be on my way then. I’ll catch up with you once I’m done,” Caster added, glancing at the girls around me with a teasing smirk. “Take care of your girls, kid.”

And just like that, he vanished into spirit form.

“What was that all about?” Olga asked, looking up at me with a small pout, her head tilting slightly.

“Yeah… Caster suddenly changed after you lent him your spear,” Mash added, equally curious.

I simply smiled.

Without thinking, I reached out and patted both of their heads.

“S-Senpai—!?”

“W-What are you doing!?”

Mash froze in place with a flustered squeak, while Olga quickly slapped my hand away, her face turning bright red.

“Don’t just touch my hair like that! I’m not a child, damn it!” Olga snapped, clearly embarrassed.

“Sorry, Director,” I said sheepishly, scratching the back of my head. “It was just… an automatic reaction. You both looked so cute that I couldn’t resist.”

That only made things worse.

Both of them flushed even deeper.

Then—

I felt a small tug on my sleeve.

Blinking, I turned to Fran.

She stood there quietly, her head slightly lowered… as if asking for the same treatment.

I blinked again.

Then gently patted her soft pink hair.

“G-G-ooo-d,” she murmured, clearly pleased.

“…I’ll explain everything later,” I said, glancing back at the others. “For now, how about I strengthen Fran with my Mystery… and then we go face Saber so we can all return to Chaldea together?”

Outwardly, I smiled.

But inside…

I felt a hint of tension.

Facing Artoria Alter…

I wanted to do it alone.

‘I just hope this version of her isn’t as stubborn as the original…’